In late August I attended a gala in Venice that I (along with a tireless team of dear friends) helped plan for Save Venice. This is a biennial event that is key to our fund-raising efforts, which makes our mission to restore art in Venice possible. Besides bringing together an incredible group of Venice lovers, Venice scholars and even a few Venice first-timers, the four-day gala is just plain...

As long as I can remember I’ve always had a passion for antiques. In fact, my design business (prior to joining forces with a certain Mr. Webb) actually grew out of an antiques shop I owned in Pasadena, California. It’s well known in the antiques trade that “An antiques dealer isn’t made by what he sells, but by what he...

During the Renaissance, Venice was a center for creating many beautiful things including books. Libraries were filled with volumes covered in superb gilt-edged vellum. Of course during this time Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Palladio and others were creating a few masterpieces of their own. Fast forward to 1966 where devastating floods destroyed art, architecture and yes, some very special...

I am always surprised when I see a new restaurant open that made no effort to create an inviting space for the dining experience. Even the most casual and humble of places need a bit of ambience. Sure, FOOD is the prime focus of any restaurant, but it’s the entire experience that makes people want to come back for...

It’s been about 15 years since I had my antiques shop in Pasadena, California, and somehow that shop bug has never left me. Since then, I’ve moved to New York and besides working in the city, I have settled into the wonderful town of Hillsdale, in Columbia County NY. The overwhelming desire to restore every old building I’ve ever met has finally caught up with me with the purchase of an old building at the center of our hamlet, thanks to the partnership of David...